Belarus Authorities Fail To Investigate Torture Accusations, Amnesty Says

Belarusian authorities have failed to investigate allegations of torture by protesters detained during anti-government demonstrations calling for the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a report issued on January 27 by Amnesty International says.

The report says the victims, not the perpetrators, are being punished and called on the international community to take steps to deliver justice and hold the perpetrators accountable.

“We have repeatedly called for effective investigations to bring those responsible to justice, but there is little hope of that from a system that not only protects police with anonymity, but also encourages intimidation and further violence against victims and witnesses,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The report says there have been no criminal investigations launched into the more than 900 complaints of abuses committed by law enforcement officers that Belarusian authorities admit they have received since protests began after the presidential election in August 2020 that Lukashenka claims he won.

Crisis In Belarus

Read our coverage as Belarusians take to the streets to demand the resignation of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and call for new elections after official results from the August 9 presidential poll gave Lukashenka a landslide victory.

Authorities have instead launched criminal cases against protesters, charging them with participating in mass riots and violence against police officers.

Struthers said the failure of the Belarusian justice system to ensure accountability means justice must now be pursued internationally.

“Governments, international and regional organizations should use all their leverage to pressure the Belarusian authorities to end this assault on human rights,” she said.

Amnesty International has compiled the accounts of peaceful protesters who said they were beaten, held in stress positions, and deprived of food, drinking water or medical care for days.

Belarus has witnessed regular protests since Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was declared the winner of the August election, which the opposition says was rigged.

Nearly 160 demonstrators were detained over the past weekend in the most recent roundup of protesters.

The Amnesty International report adds to previous credible descriptions of torture during a widening security crackdown, which has also seen the arrests of many independent journalists.

Several protesters have been killed and thousands arrested during the demonstrations demanding Lukashenka’s resignation.

Lukashenka has denied any wrongdoing and refuses to negotiate with the opposition on stepping down and holding new elections.

The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries refuse to recognize Lukashenka, 66, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the “falsification” of the vote and postelection crackdown.

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya is scheduled to speak on January 27 at an online discussion on how the EU plans to keep Belarus on the agenda and provide more political support to Belarusian civil society.

With reporting by dpa